• by Tanya Gazdik , April 16, 2018

Healthcare company Kaiser Permanente is partnering with NBA All-Star Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors for a new campaign

“Wins and Losses,” created by Translation, follows Curry's life story, communicating how experience builds resilience. The 30-second spot shows flashes of his life such as on the playground as a 7-year-old, to seeing his father being inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, all the way through the NBA draft and a championship.

The campaign tells the two-time NBA MVP’s story in an authentic and relatable way, says Christine Paige, chief marketing executive, Kaiser Permanente.

“We are recreating some of the pivotal moments in an athlete’s development — some positive and some not — to illustrate what makes them stronger not only on the court, but off the court,” Paige tells Marketing Daily. “It directly addresses the important role of the mind (mental focus, resilience) in navigating life’s challenges.”

The spot aims to show how mental resilience helps Curry grow as a person and as a top-level athlete — and how it can help anyone overcome day-to-day hardships and excel. In the latest TV message, Curry is depicted at various moments in his life, both low and high. As he is drafted by the Warriors, he speaks of learning humility. “My mind,” he says, “is where every challenge I’ve faced is won or lost.”

The spot will air throughout the 2018 National Basketball Association playoffs, which began Saturday. 

This is the third year Curry has partnered with the nation’s largest integrated health care system on a public health message emphasizing the importance of mental health and wellness and its impact on total health: mind, body and spirit working in unison. Since 2016, Kaiser Permanente has been active in media and elsewhere encouraging people to understand the importance of mental resilience and to end the stigma around mental health conditions. 

This message builds on an ongoing campaign by Kaiser Permanente, “Find Your Words,” to foster a national conversation about mental health and wellness — and more specifically, to encourage those who need help overcoming depression and other conditions to speak up and get that help.

Kaiser Permanente’s work with Curry and the NBA is an extension of the two organizations’ shared commitment to improving the health and wellness of fans and the communities in which they live, learn, work and play. The nonprofit has served as the NBA’s official healthcare partner since 2015 and is the presenting partner of NBA FIT Week, held in January, and the annual Total Health Forum. Together, the NBA and Kaiser Permanente have hosted FIT clinics engaging thousands of youth in cities throughout the U.S. 

Kaiser Permanente also provides the NBA with research-oriented strategic consulting, health-related content, and the development of year-round health and wellness programs.